The Untouchables (2 page)

“Thank you,” she said. “Now, what are you hiding from me, Liam? You’ve been acting odd for weeks. I’ve done the wife thing and I’ve given you time, but you’re starting to piss me off,” she finished fixing the bracelets on her arm.

“What do you think I’m hiding,
wife
?”

“Now you’re avoiding my question.” She frowned as she looked me over. Then she reached out and adjusted my bowtie. She was either going to try to strangle me with it, or she was simply annoyed at how I had tied it…it was more likely the former.

“Whatever you think I’m hiding, you’re wrong.”

“But you are hiding
something
.”

Lucky for me, my mother turned up the volume on the screen.

“There you have it, America! It is official. Senator Daniel Colemen is this year’s Republican Candidate and our contender for future president. As the primary favorite, this news shouldn’t come to as a surprise to anyone. Tonight, he will be giving his victory speech at a Charity Gala hosted by the Callahans. His only child, Olivia-Ann, married Neal Callahan five years ago. Tonight, they celebrate, tomorrow, he has his work cut for him if he wants to defeat current president, Franklin Monroe.”

“Your work cut out for you indeed,” Mina said, as she muted the television, and turned back to face us.

“What? They all love me,” Senator Colemen responded, grinning at the television from his seat, “I won by a landslide.”

Told you.

My father shook his head as he poured himself a glass of brandy. “That’s because every other candidate was an idiot.”

“Or not rich enough to out-campaign you,” Declan added.

“All of that is true, yes,” Mina, said as she walked around the couch, and stopped right behind Olivia’s chair. “The people do love you, the problem is her royal highness here.”

“I haven’t done anything.” Olivia glared at her.

Melody and I had been trying our best to stay out of this. The less we were involved during the election, the less likely people would question any favors that came our way. Sadly, the Colemens were a bunch of political morons who had no idea how to work the system. I would have been surprised if they even knew where the goddamn White House was. It was the reason why I had personally hired Mina Sung; a second generation Korean-American, with an IQ almost as high as mine. I fought her for the top of the class while at Dartmouth. She was a political animal who would do anything to win. She was short, with thick-rimmed glasses, and silky black hair that was always pulled into a bun. I couldn’t dismiss anyone who knew how to get their job done. For the last six months, she had all but sold her soul to destroy any candidate that stood in her way. Melody and I called her our little pit bull.

“That’s the problem.” I sighed. I did not have time for this stupidity. “The people think you’re cold and heartless, with a rich husband, and a powerful daddy. They dislike you and will continue to dislike you until you stop showing them who you really are and start being who they want you to be.”

“I couldn’t have said it any better myself,” Mina said as she adjusted her glasses, “The people aren’t just picking a President, they’re picking a first family. They like your father, they like your mother, but you’re the black sheep who needs to be dyed white.”

“Fine,” Melody said, speaking up. “I will handle Olivia. Just keep working on everyone else.”

“You?” Neal questioned worriedly, but with a hint of amusement.

“Yes, me,” she snapped as she sat up. “The woman the public loves. The woman who bats her eyelashes at the cameras, who accepts stupid balloon crowns from annoying-ass clowns, and donates shitloads of money to so many kids that they want to name a fucking school library after me. I know how to act in public. Your wife, on the other hand, needs a few lessons. You should be glad I haven’t thrown her off the bridge for the pity vote.”

“You wouldn’t.” Mrs. Colemen’s blue eyes widened as she stood up quickly. Standing next to her daughter they looked eerie similar, the only difference being Mrs. Colemen’s wrinkled skin and shoulder length gray-blonde hair.

“She would,” my mother replied. She hated when we fought. But you’d think she would be used to it by now. When
didn’t
we fight?

“She would enjoy it too.” Coraline grinned. Melody had “fixed” Cora, as she liked to say. In other words, Coraline now lived on the dark side of the moon with us.

Mrs. Colemen stood. “We’re all family here…”

“No,
we’re
family.” I pointed at myself and my immediate family. “You are a chess piece, a stepping stone to our goals, Mrs. Colemen. Harsh, I know. But it’s the truth, and it’s better you hear it now just so we don’t have a misunderstanding in the future. You hold no value other than arm candy to your husband. I thought we made that clear when we asked you to get remarried for the sake of this campaign. That’s the deal
you
made. So save your life and sit back down, before you don’t have legs to stand on. There are plenty of pretty blondes in the sea to replace you.”

Shocked, she sat back down.

Welcome to the family.

Maybe now what she signed up for was finally hitting her. She wanted to be the first lady so that she could be the face for environmental and educational change. That was the deal. Melody and I were the hands that fed her, and if she bit us, we would pull out every one of her teeth.

“Well then, Senator, we should go over your speech once more,” Mina told Mr. Colemen as she typed away on her tablet.

“I think I will follow along as well,” Mrs. Colemen said. She smiled nervously before walking out.

“They are my parents, could you please refrain from threatening them?” Olivia hissed through her teeth, causing Neal to grab her hand.

“Why? We threaten you, and you’re married to the family,” Melody said, and I smiled.

Olivia looked over to Evelyn and Sedric, who seemed to be having their own private conversation, and stomped her foot like the brat she was. My parents couldn’t do shit, nor would they. Evelyn…well, my mother was happy when my father was happy, and as long as she could throw as many parties as she wanted, she was fine as well. My father was out of this “business;” he was keeping his hands clean and instead focused on our more legitimate affairs. The Callahan family didn’t just control the drug trade. Hotels, restaurants, spas, clubs…we owned so many of them that I’ve honestly lost count. Not to mention the amount of shares we now owned in some of the world’s biggest corporations due to the Giovanni family, which now really consisted of just Mel. The Callahans hid our secret behind small business ventures over the generations, but since Melody had all but rebuilt the Giovanni by herself, she needed a quicker way to hide her blood money. Between us both, we truly did own this city…this state, and Olivia, after all this time, still didn’t seem to understand that.

“This family is fucked in the head and so dysfunctional,” Olivia snapped, walking towards the door, “We’re supposed to have each other’s backs and protect one another. Yet all you ever do is remind us that you wouldn’t hesitate to kill any of us.”

“Apparently we don’t remind you enough.” My eyes narrowed while I moved towards her. Her eyes widened, and Neal immediately stood between us.

“Step aside, brother,” I said softly. “I won’t hurt her.”

Neal’s jaw clenched, and he only took a slight step to the right, allowing me to step in front of Olivia.

“Every day, you bitch and whine at us, and everyday, you manage to wake up. That isn’t luck, it isn’t even the will of God; it’s because you’re family. That is the only reason your tongue hasn’t been ripped from your throat. You’re alive because my brother, whom I’ve come to care for, was stupid enough to fall in love with you. Over the years, you’ve been given the freedom of speech, but now I’m revoking that right.” I cupped the side of her face and could feel Neal flinch beside me. “Never again will you ever tell me what this family is supposed to be like. For if you do, Olivia Callahan, there won’t be enough love in the world to protect you from me.”

When I pulled back, she was paler than the blue dress she wore.

“Maybe we should all rest privately for the remainder of the evening before the gala,” my mother said as she walked over to me and wrapped her hand around my own. She pulled me back, giving Neal a moment with Olivia.

“Brilliant idea, Mother.” I kissed her on the cheek before turning to Melody. Seeing the look of lust in her eyes made me forget everything else.

I reached out for her hand. “Wife.”

She shook her head. “Olivia and I are going to work on fixing her public appearance before this gala.”

“I think Olivia has had enough lessons for one night,” my father said, looking over at the still pale woman in Neal’s arms. It made me sick; she looked like one of those stupid girls on the cover of those romance novels.

“There’s still some time before the gala,” Melody said. “Hopefully this won’t take long.”

“Should I come along as well?” Neal asked, which was code for,
you’re not going anywhere with my wife unless I follow
.

Melody didn’t back down, nor did I think she would. “Olivia doesn’t want you to come along. Or at least that’s what she told Adriana when she was told of our plans this evening.”

Only God knew what that meant.

“I’ll be fine, Neal,” Olivia declared, letting go of him.

“Am I coming along?” Coraline asked cheerfully, almost knocking over her chair. Declan leered at her, wrapping his arm around her waist. She glared at him, but didn’t push him away. Therapy was helping them…slowly, but it was helping.

“Sorry, Cora, it’s a private meeting,” she replied.

Before she could leave, I pulled her back, ignoring the excitement that ran through me just by touching her.

“What are you up to, love?” I questioned, kissing her deeply when she opened her lips to reply.

“You will find out soon enough,” she declared. “We’ll be back within the hour.”

I had a bad feeling about this, but Mel killing Olivia was the least of my worries right now.

MELODY

I left him and the rest of the family behind, knowing full well that Olivia would follow. The whole night had gone so perfectly, you would have thought I could see the future. However, with each passing day, Olivia was becoming a bigger problem. She didn’t seem to understand the world around her. She couldn’t see the bigger picture, and the longer she stayed blind to the reality of our lives, the bigger liability we faced. Family, for us, was everything, but it was also the one thing that could destroy us.

Cops didn’t bring down the greatest bosses in history, they brought down their families, the people they provided for and protected. It was the idiots who were lucky enough to either share DNA or have a ring on their finger. They enjoyed all the rewards—the money, the fame, and the respect. But none of them really understood how fragile it all was, especially the wives. Our weakest link was Olivia, and I would be damned if I let her continue on the way she was.

It had taken Liam and I weeks of planning to figure out exactly what we wanted. It wasn’t like we just woke up one morning and said, ‘let’s own the White House.’ We went back and forth over whether or not to use Senator Colemen, since he was already so close to the family. But it was because of that reason that he was perfect.

“Where are we going?” Olivia asked, once we stepped into the garage. Fedel handed me the keys to my white Aston Martin before handing me a gun.

“Get in the car, Olivia,” was all I said to her, but she was frozen with her blue eyes glued to the weapon in my hand.

“Fedel.” I sighed, taking a seat behind the wheel.

“Let go of me!” Olivia yelled, as he grabbed her and forced her into the car.

Holding her down, he buckled her in before slamming the door shut and I stomped on the gas.

“What the hell do you want with me, Melody?” she screamed.

“I want you to be a Callahan, not a Colemen,” I replied, relaxing into my seat.

“What the fuck does that mean? I
am
a Callahan. I was one before you were, remember?” She huffed, glaring out the window.

I laughed; she so badly wanted something to trump me with. “No, you are a Colemen hiding in Callahan’s clothing. You bitch like a Colemen, hide like a Colemen, and have no balls like a Colemen. Which means you look like your mother, but act like your father. So scared of what you could actually be if you put forth the effort. Seems like Liam and I have to teach your entire family how to grow balls.”

“Thank you, Obi Wan Kenobi, but I don’t need, nor do I want, your help. Take me home or I will walk!” she snapped, as she twirled her blonde hair between her fingers.

It bothered me.

“In a pair of seven hundred dollar Jimmy Choos? That will be the day.” I was sort of impressed she knew who Obi Wan Kenobi was though. Must have been due to Neal.

“Whatever game…”

“I don’t play games, Olivia. Games are for children. I work. Every moment of every damn day, I am working. I work so that this family—
our
family—can move mountains. I work so that I never want for anything, so that I can obtain anything I wish. Right now, I’m working on you, so shut the fuck up.” I wanted to bash her fucking skull in.

Luckily, she didn’t say anything else, and we soon reached our destination; a cliff that overlooked the beautiful Lake Michigan.

“Sorry, my gate doesn’t swing that way,” she joked, but it wasn’t at all funny. “It’s a pretty spot for a date though.”

“Get out, Olivia.”

She glared like always, but did as she was told.

Stepping around to the back of the car, I opened the trunk. “It’s time you grow up, Olivia.”

“You know what, Melody—” She stopped the moment she looked down and saw the naked man curled up in a ball in the trunk.

Backing away slowly, she covered her mouth, and her eyes shined with tears. The man struggled against his chains and screamed against the gag in his mouth. Every sound he made, Olivia shook. Finally, she threw up everything she had just eaten and sobbed.